Personally Beneficial
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: After Grell finds Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny's names on his To Die list for that day, he decides to save the only three friends he's ever had. However, things are complicated when William finds out what he's done. (WARNINGS: language, violence, blood, attempted suicide) Slight Grell/William.


"Ah, Reaper Sutcliff." William greeted Grell one day, giving his flamboyant colleague a brief, disapproving glance as he approached him. "Here is your To Die list for today."

"Ooh, a gift from dear Will?" Grell asked girlishly, batting his eyes.

William's expression didn't change. "Just take it." he said flatly. "I don't have time for your antics right now."

"Don't be like that." chided Grell, but he took the list anyway and stuffed it into one of his pockets.

William nodded curtly, and headed off. "Keep up the good work, Sutcliff." he called over his shoulder as he left.

"Bye!" Grell called back. He stared after the reaper for a few moments before sighing. "Bother. I should be getting off." He pulled the crumpled list back out and glanced at it quickly. He scanned the list, bored. There was never anything interesting, no names that caught his eye…

…until now.

There were three. Three names that made his heart stop dead in his chest. Grell traced his long, painted fingernail across them, following the swoops and lines that formed the letters.

_Bardroy._

_Mey-Rin._

And _Finny._

Immediately Grell crumpled the paper back up, his hands trembling violently. It had been a long time since he'd seen them… so long… but he remembered them so well. Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny… the Phantomhive servants. The only three people who had treated him with respect and showed him any sort of friendship. And now… they were scheduled to die.

Anger flushed through him. _He had to stop this. _"Will!" he shouted, running after the other reaper.

William groaned, but he turned around when Grell ran up to him. "Yes, what do you want now, Sutcliff?"

Grell jabbed at the three servants' names on his list. "These three. I know them."

"Charming. Should be easier then, I suppose?" William was aware of how many people had wronged Grell in life.

"What? No! They're my _friends._" Grell corrected desperately.

"Friends?" William repeated, raising one eyebrow. "I never thought you as the 'friend' type, Reaper Sutcliff."

"What does that mean?" Grell asked accusatorially.

"Nothing, nothing. I meant nothing by it." William replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Anyway. You're dealing with three of your friends, are you? Perhaps I should find someone else to deal with this list, then, hmm?"

"No!" Grell said quickly, his hand diving into his pocket and wrapping itself protectively around the To Die list. "I… I can do it."

"I should hope you are not planning to spare these 'friends' of yours, Sutcliff." William warned him. "Don't try to mess with fate. A reaper cannot favour anyone, not even his so-called _friends._"

"No, of course not." lied Grell. He hated lying to William, but this felt more important than his job performance somehow.

"Alright." William said dubiously. "Against my better judgement, I'm going to trust you, Reaper Sutcliff. Tread carefully." With that, he stalked off. For once, Grell didn't have the heart to say anything flirtatious back.

As soon as William was gone, Grell rushed off, determined to stop the servants' untimely demises. They _were _untimely, no matter what the To Die list said- he just knew it. There was no way it was time for them to die. What had they done to anyone? They had been his only real friends back at the Phantomhive Manor… now it was his turn to return the favour.

He was going to help them, and they were going to live.

In a whirlwind of flying scarlet hair and clothing, Grell Sutcliff was gone.

xXx

"Oi, you two. Thanks for spendin' your free time here in the kitchen with me."

"No worries, Bard! It's always nice spending time with your best friends!" Finny replied warmly.

The cook grinned, his cigarette giving out a faint trail of smoke into the kitchen air as he fiercely whipped the batter he was making with a whisk. He stopped briefly to pull his cigarette from between his teeth and toss it into the garbage. "Heh, that's good. I always like company, you know? And if I had to have best friends, it'd be you two."

"Oh, Bard, what do you mean 'if you had to'?" Mey-Rin asked.

"Okay, okay. You guys are my best friends." Bard conceded.

Finny laughed cheerfully. "Yay!"

Just then, smoke began to pour from the garbage can. The servants stared down at it, eyes wide. "What's that?" Finny asked tentatively.

"Is it Bard's cigarette?" supplied Mey-Rin.

Bard kicked over the can. The contents spilled out over the ground. To their shock, the contents of the can were on fire.

Finny gasped, and kicked the flaming garbage away from them. It reached the side of the nearest counter, and the fire spread, devouring the row of counters in mere seconds.

The three servants stepped backward, alarm etched on all of their faces. "Shit!" Bard gasped. He had started fires in the kitchen before, but they were usually contained, and they usually left a way for the servants to escape. This time was different.

"This is bad, yes it is…" Mey-Rin whimpered.

"What do we do now?!" wailed Finny.

Just then, something clicked in Bard's head. "Water! Get _water!_" he exclaimed, running toward the pots and pans cupboard. However, the fire had spread there, too, and he was forced to recoil from the pulsating heat.

The flames were consuming everything in sight. Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny were forced together into the centre of the kitchen, while fire spun and danced all around them. Smoke was rising fast, dark and thick, making them cough and choke.

"I'm scared." Finny admitted, looking up at Mey-Rin with huge, tear-filled turquoise eyes.

Mey-Rin put a trembling arm around his shoulders. "It's going to be okay, yes it is!" she told him, although her face was paper-white and she looked terrified.

"Oi, I'm sorry, you two." Bard mumbled. "This is all my fault. I shoulda made sure that cigarette was out for sure."

"That's okay…" Finny reached out his small, gloved hands for them to hold. "If I have to die, I'm just glad it's with you two."

A tear rolled down Mey-Rin's cheek at this. She grabbed Finny's hand and squeezed it tightly. The maid then took Bard's hand in her other one.

"Funny," said Bard. "I survived the war, but now I'm gonna be taken out by some lame house fire."

Finny laughed, even though there were tears pouring from his eyes. Mey-Rin appreciated Bard's making him laugh, whether it was intentional or not. The gardener opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, something large and red crashed through the window. Shards of glass flew in every direction. Before the servants' eyes, Grell Sutcliff straightened up to his magnificent full height, his glasses flashing in the firelight.

The servants gasped. "Mister Grell!" Mey-Rin exclaimed.

"We can talk later!" Grell shouted at them. He reached out his hands toward them. "Come on, get over here!"

"We can't!" Bard called back between coughs. "We're trapped!"

Grell frowned. "Alright. I'll come for you." He jumped up onto one of the flaming countertops and back down to where the three servants cowered.

"M-Mister Grell!" Finny stammered, his voice hoarse from the smoke. "Doesn't the fire hurt you?"

"No." Grell shook his head.

"What are you doing here?" the gardener added, sounding awestruck.

"Saving you, of course!" Grell replied.

"But… but how did you…"

"I saw your names on the To Die list." admitted Grell. When he saw the remaining colour drain from their faces, he continued quickly. "Don't worry. Yes, you three _were _supposed to die today, but I'm here now."

"If our names were on the To Die list, can you really save us?" Mey-Rin asked hopefully.

Grell flashed a sharp, winning smile. "Don't forget; we reapers can do anything we put our minds to." he replied confidently. "Now, come on. I can bring you out, one at a time." He slid a red-clad arm around Mey-Rin's waist. "Ladies first, hmm?"

"No… take Finny first." Mey-Rin said firmly.

Finny shook his head. "Go on, Mey-Rin. Bard and I will be out soon."

"But…"

"Just _go!_" Bard shouted.

"Okay…" Mey-Rin turned in toward Grell, burying her face in his coat. Almost immediately, he threw her up onto his shoulder, bridal carry style. She screamed, but the noise was lost in the wind as Grell flew over the flaming countertops and back out the window. More glass shattered and fell to the floor as he did so.

Outside, Grell landed neatly on his feet and lowered Mey-Rin into the grass. She sank down to her knees, breathing heavily. Behind her thick glasses, her eyes were shut tightly.

Grell knelt down next to her and looked her over, putting a finger under her chin and forcing her head up to look at him. "Are you hurt?"

"No… I'm fine… but Finny and Bard are still in there!" the maid exclaimed, her voice weak and panicky. "Oh, Mister Grell… please save them soon…"

"Gladly." Grell winked, getting back to his feet. He ran back toward the manor and jumped back in through the window.

Finny and Bard looked up when Grell re-entered the kitchen. "Who's next?" asked the reaper, shaking back his sleeves.

Bard shoved Finny toward Grell. "Go on, take the kid."

"What? Bard, you-"

Before Finny could even finish his selfless argument, Grell had grabbed him and thrown him up onto his shoulder, just as he had with Mey-Rin. Finny grabbed onto Grell's loose coat and hid his face in the crook of the reaper's neck.

"This won't take long at all." Grell told Bard, winking again. He tightened his grip on Finny, and back out the window he went.

When Grell landed back on the ground, Mey-Rin ran over and carefully detached the young gardener from the reaper's coat. She gathered Finny into her own arms, letting him cry into her filthy apron.

Grell paused, staring at Finny, but Mey-Rin shook her head and pointed back up at the kitchen window. "Finny will be okay." she whispered. "Just make sure Bard is safe."

"Certainly." Grell said, and jumped back up onto the windowsill.

Inside the kitchen, Bard had pulled out a new cigarette and lit it with the fire surrounding him. Grell landed gracefully next to the cook and tutted loudly, pulling the cigarette from Bard's hand and tossing it away into the flames.

"Hey." Bard said, annoyed.

"It's really not a good habit to have." Grell told him. "I mean, just look at this mess."

Bard chuckled. "Ha. You win this time. This is all my fault- don't think I don't know that. Are you gonna leave me here in the flames?"

"I'd debate it, but I hate to see darling Mey-Rin and Finny cry." Grell replied. "And… I wouldn't want such a handsome face to go to waste." He ran his hand over Bard's cheek. The cook reddened, and pulled away.

"Let's go." Bard growled.

"Oh, yes. Come here." Grell reached out and grabbed the back of Bard's coat. "Hold on tight, my dear. This is going to be quite a bumpy ride…"

Bard swatted the reaper's hand away. "Oi, I'm not going to be carried like a little girl."

Grell raised one eyebrow. "No? You _do _want to get out of here, don't you?"

"Of course I do! But I'm a grown man, and I intend to act like one."

"Ugh, you make this so hard." Grell complained. "Why can't you be obedient, like the others? Well, fine. I won't carry you like that." His thin mouth curled into a mischievous smile. "I'll carry you like _this._"

He grabbed the front of Bard's coat tightly. Still holding him, Grell jumped back up into the air and dove out of the window.

Bard dangled from Grell's sturdy hand as they soared toward the ground. "Holy shit!" the cook shouted, his blue eyes trained on the ground, approaching rapidly. "You're a goddamn lunatic!"

"Oh, come now. It's not like I'm going to let you crash." Grell said. "There's no need to curse like that."

"Like _hell _there isn't!"

Just then, they landed safely on the ground. Bard tumbled out onto the grassy ground and started kissing it. "I can't believe we're all _alive!_" he exclaimed.

Mey-Rin, who was still holding the whimpering Finny against her, said, "Thank you so much, Mister Grell!"

"Oh, it was nothing. Nothing at all." Grell waved a hand dismissively.

"Are you sure it was _nothing, _Reaper Sutcliff?" said a cold voice from behind him.

Grell recognized the voice even before he turned around and saw the close-cropped black hair and glaring green eyes of William T. Spears.

"Oh." was all Grell could manage. "Hello, Will…"

"Are these your _friends, _Sutcliff?" William asked venomously, looking from Bard on the ground to Mey-Rin and Finny, who were both teary-eyed.

"Yes." Grell replied stiffly. "This is Bardroy, Mey-Rin, and Finnian. They work here at the Phantomhive Manor."

"Hmm. Nice to meet you all." William greeted them, but didn't even look at them. His frosty gaze was trained solely on Grell, whose eyes shone with guilt.

"Are you angry because Mister Grell saved us?" asked Finny tentatively, wiping his eyes. "Because you shouldn't be. We would have _died _if it weren't for him!"

"Yes, and that's exactly _why _I'm angry." William said flatly.

"Oi, are you tellin' me you _wanted_ us three to die?" Bard asked angrily, getting to his feet and trying to meet William's height. "Say that again to my face!"

William ignored the cook and continued. "You lied to me, Sutcliff. You acted against the laws of the grim reapers and for that, you shall be punished."

"Fine." Grell said. "As long as these three get to live."

"What's with this sudden softness, Reaper Sutcliff?" asked William, raising one eyebrow. "I've never known you to hold such bonds to ordinary _humans_."

"I should have known that you wouldn't know anything about friendship, William." Grell hissed coldly. "Or humans, for that matter. Yes, some are frightfully ordinary. But some…" His gaze flicked briefly toward the three servants. "…are brilliant. Unlike some reapers." he added rashly.

The black-haired reaper's eyes narrowed. "Say what you want about me. I do not care. Work is what I care about. I thought you did, too, Sutcliff, but apparently I was mistaken."

Grell frowned. "I do care about my work, Will. It's just… I care about them as well."

"I told you already. A reaper cannot favour _anyone, _and they cannot _spare _them if they are scheduled for death!" William exclaimed. "I'm sure they are nice people. But they are just humans. They are scheduled to die today. Are you going to do your job, Sutcliff? Do it now- or I will."

Grell's eyes were huge and white behind his red glasses. "No…" he murmured. "You can't do that… I won't let you!"

But William had already acted. He pulled out his death scythe- a long pruner- and extended it. A small, sharp blade shot out of the end, and before anyone could do as much as scream- the blade had buried itself in Finny's stomach.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Finny stood, turquoise eyes huge, staring down at the growing scarlet stain on his shirt. William retracted the pruner, spattering the ground with blood, and then the gardener fell to his knees, making a whimpering, choking sound. Bard, Mey-Rin, and Grell all screamed. "_Finny!_" sobbed Mey-Rin, collapsing next to him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, tears running down her face.

"You fu-" Bard began, raising a fist toward William, but Grell interrupted him, turning on William as well. The red-haired reaper's eyes were teary and full of fury.

"How dare y-"

The pruner shot out again, this time catching Mey-Rin in the chest. She gasped as her apron turned red. Finny began to cry, but he was very pale, and just keeping his eyes open seemed like the struggle of a lifetime.

"_Damn you!_" Bard bellowed, pushing past the wounded servants and throwing a punch at William. "You're gonna pay for that!"  
William dodged the punch almost lazily. "Close-range, hmm?" he said. "Well, I didn't want to get my clothes bloody, but…"

Grell realized what William was saying almost at once. "Bard, move away!" he shrieked. But it was too late; the pruner pierced the cook's abdomen and went right through him. Bard's eyes widened, and he coughed, blood dripping from his mouth. William retracted his death scythe, and Bard collapsed almost immediately.

"_No!_" Grell cried. He knelt down next to them. Mey-Rin was a motionless heap on the ground, her cheeks wet with tears; Finny clutched at her skirt like it was a lifeline, as he mumbled over and over that he was scared; Bard was still coughing up blood, but he still tried to get to his feet, his blue eyes full of hatred.

"You're- you're going to… pay… for…"

William extended the pruner once more. Bard winced at the second blow, and fell back down, a pool of crimson blood forming alarmingly quickly around him. He didn't try to get up again.

"There." said William softly, retracting his scythe and putting it back in his pocket. "I think this is enough of a punishment in itself, Reaper Sutcliff, so I will refrain from demoting you this time. Smarten up. And do clean up this mess."

He had just turned around to leave when he heard Grell rev up his chainsaw death scythe. William turned back around instinctively, ready for Grell's attack, but it didn't come. No, Grell was not aiming for him.

The red-haired reaper had raised his chainsaw toward his own neck.

"Stop that." growled William immediately, darting back over and grabbing the chainsaw before Grell could hurt himself with it. "You're a _reaper, _Sutcliff. You see death all the time. You _cause _death. These are just humans. They aren't worth it."

"I already told you. You don't understand!" Grell spat, tears streaming down his face. "I _loved_ them!"

William's gaze was emotionless, devoid of sympathy. "You love a lot of people, Sutcliff. You hit on me all the time."

"_Not like that!_" cried Grell. "I loved them like- like friends. Best friends. They were so kind to me when I worked here as a butler- they never put me down like you do! You're awful, William- you care more about your work than you do other people and _you have no friends. _You'd never understand _any _of this. I can't believe I ever loved you!"

William's eyes narrowed. He threw Grell's chainsaw away from him and, before the red-haired reaper could continue, he raised one hand into a fist and whacked Grell on the back of the head. Hard. Immediately, Grell fell forward, unconscious. William breathed a shaky sigh of relief. That way, the red-haired reaper could not hurt himself. William then glanced over at the three motionless bodies of the servants he'd just murdered, lying in a pool of dark red blood.

_Some humans are frightfully ordinary,_ Grell had said, _But some are brilliant. _

He had obviously been referring to these three. William stared down at their pallid, blank faces, studying them. They were just _humans_- human _servants, _no less. How could they possibly be _brilliant?_

Well, Grell had answered that question, as well. _They were so kind to me when I worked here as a butler- they never put me down like you do, _the red-haired reaper had told him. _You're awful, William- you care more about your work than you do other people._

Perhaps- despite the fact that they were only insignificant humans- they did not deserve what William had done to them. Besides, he felt a slight twinge of guilt when he thought back on what Grell had said to him. _You're awful, William. I can't believe I ever loved you._

It was too late to revive the servants now- but perhaps there was something else he could do for them…

xXx

"Reaper Sutcliff?"

"I don't want to talk to you, William."

William frowned, crossing his arms. "Reaper Sutcliff," he said again, "I need you to come with me."

Grell stared back at the black-haired reaper, his usually-lively green eyes dull. "What is it?"

"There are three new recruits, Sutcliff, and it's your turn to show them around."

"Get someone else to do it."

"Sutcliff." William warned him. "This is an order."

Grell sighed loudly and stood up from the couch he was sitting on. "Fine." He traipsed sombrely after Will, his head hanging low.

"Here are the new reapers." Will informed Grell, gesturing to them.

Grell sighed heavily again. "Alright. Well, my name is Grell Sutcliff, and-"

"But we know that already, Mister Grell!"

Grell's eyes widened, and his head jerked up almost immediately. That voice… he knew it. It sounded just like Finny. But it couldn't possibly be him… Finny was _dead, _as were Mey-Rin and Bard…

But, nonetheless, when Grell looked at the new reapers, he found the three Phantomhive servants standing in front of him. They looked fresher and happier than he had ever seen them, all adorned with new reaper spectacles.

Grell's jaw fell open. "You three… you're _reapers!?_"

"Mister William made us reapers, yes he did!" Mey-Rin exclaimed cheerfully. "He said he felt bad for killing us, and… oh, what else did he say?"

"That he didn't like havin' no friends and he wanted Grell here to like him." Bard supplied.

"Right, thanks, Bard!"

"You said all that?" asked Grell incredulously, turning to William.

There was a ghost of a smile on William's face. "Perhaps." he replied tersely. "Perhaps not."

"Oh, _Will!_" Grell cried, whirling around and throwing his arms around Will's shoulders. "You aren't so awful after all!"

William leaned away from Grell's face and tried to smile. "Thank you, Reaper Sutcliff."

"You _do _care about people, Will… not just work…"

"Ah, but what more have I done than recruit three new, young reapers?"

Grell laughed. "Oh, Will… You know what I mean. You saved them because you know how much I cared about them."

William nodded. "That is true. I… I did feel guilty, because of what you said. You made me see reason, Sutcliff. I'm very hard on you- I put you down and I am rather unfriendly toward you most of the time. I'm sorry about this. And which souls _you _choose to save should be no matter to me. Reapers _are _allowed to save souls, after all, if they prove to be beneficial- and these three are obviously beneficial to you, considering the fact that you attempted to commit suicide after they died. That should be enough for me. I-I'd rather not lose you." He carefully detatched Grell from him. "Now, why don't you show these three around now? You haven't got all day."

"Right." Grell turned back to the servants and smiled. "It's nice to see you three again."

They beamed back at him. "We're going to be able to see you all the time now, yes we will!" Mey-Rin said brightly. "Isn't that nice?"

"Yes!" Grell nodded. "It's very nice."

As the four of them walked away, William heard Finny say to Grell, "You know, Mister Grell, even though he killed us, I think Mister William is a nice guy. I can see why you like him so much."

Safe in the fact that no one could see him, William allowed himself to smile. Now he had a friend- well, he had _four._

And it felt good.

end


End file.
